Peru celebrates 2 decades of a fast-growing breed of guinea pigs eaten as a delicacy
Peru is celebrating two decades since the creation of a genetically modified breed of guinea pig, a rodent whose meat has formed a part of the diet of people in the Andean nation for thousands of years
Your support helps us to tell the story
From reproductive rights to climate change to Big Tech, The Independent is on the ground when the story is developing. Whether it's investigating the financials of Elon Musk's pro-Trump PAC or producing our latest documentary, 'The A Word', which shines a light on the American women fighting for reproductive rights, we know how important it is to parse out the facts from the messaging.
At such a critical moment in US history, we need reporters on the ground. Your donation allows us to keep sending journalists to speak to both sides of the story.
The Independent is trusted by Americans across the entire political spectrum. And unlike many other quality news outlets, we choose not to lock Americans out of our reporting and analysis with paywalls. We believe quality journalism should be available to everyone, paid for by those who can afford it.
Your support makes all the difference.Peru on Thursday celebrated two decades since the creation of a genetically modified breed of guinea pig, a rodent whose meat has formed a part of the diet of people in the Andean nation for thousands of years.
The genetically modified breed of guinea pig ā known as cuy locally ā is called āPeru.ā It was created in 2004 at the National Institute of Agrarian Innovation, Juan SolĆ³rzano, a research zootechnician, said in the middle of one of the instituteās farms where thousands of guinea pigs are raised for study.
What characterizes the āPeruā breed is that grows faster, reaching a weight of 1 kilogram in 56 days, rather than the 160 days that was needed before, SolĆ³rzano said.
āIt is a precocious breed,ā said SolĆ³rzano.
Guinea pigs are native to the Andes Mountains and are raised in Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador and Colombia, areas where the Inca Empire spread almost 500 years ago.
There are more than 25 million guinea pigs in Peru, according to official figures. The rodent is so popular in the South American country that authorities have decreed the second Friday of October as National Guinea Pig Day to encourage its consumption.
Internal migration from Peruās Andes in the 20th century brought the custom of eating guinea pigs to the country's Pacific coast.
āIt is eaten at sporting events or religious festivals. Guinea pig is a festive dish,ā SolĆ³rzano said. It is also used in ritual healing practices by being rubbed over the body of a sick person.
Marina Isabel BriceƱo, an employee at an air conditioning supply company, said she has eaten guinea pigs since she was a child, calling them a delicacy served at āspecial events.ā
Born in the Cajamarca region, BriceƱo said that at baptisms the parents often give the godfather and godmother a tray with more than a dozen guinea pigs that have been fried and are ācrispy and ready to eat.ā
āI know it is a rodent, a distant relative of rats, but those animals eat garbage, whereas guinea pigs eat something else, tender corn leaves which is why they are tasty,ā she said.